▼ The purpose of this study was to assess the retention of Class Piano skills of undergraduate non-piano Music Education majors. Twenty students, who had passed all Class Piano requirements but who had not yet graduated, completed a survey regarding their Class Piano experience and took a skill playing exam in which they demonstrated scale playing, solo accompaniment, harmonization, two-hand accompaniment, and score reading skills learned in Class Piano. The results of the study addressed the following: (a) how well former Class Piano students retained the skills learned in their courses, (b) what aspects of these skills were and were not retained, and (c) the relationship between the students’ perceptions and values of these skills and their ability to demonstrate retention. All 20 students showed an overall retention of Class Piano skills, and 13 of the 20 students retained all five skills. The highest retained skill was harmonization, with 100% of the students showing retention, followed by two-hand accompaniment (95%), scales (90%), solo accompaniment (90%), and score reading (81%). The students’ degree, instrument, number of semesters since last taking Class Piano, and number of Class Piano teachers did not seem to affect their ability to retain Class Piano skills. There was an occasional, although inconsistent, connection among how important or useful the students thought the skills were and whether or not the students thought they needed to improve or could still play the skills with the students’ actual ability to play the skills. Generally, the students who considered a skill to be important, one they could still play, and one they would use in teaching, was also a skill where they showed greater retention than those who did not consider the skill to be important or one that would be used in teaching. Implications for Class Piano pedagogy include teaching scales in the context of exercises and more solo repertoire pieces, requiring scale performance tempos in order to ensure a high level of proficiency and retention is reached, consistently using and assessing dynamics and damper pedal more frequently in order to ensure that the students reach a proficient level in these areas, integrating choral warm-up, vocal score reading, and instrumental transposition exercises earlier and more frequently into the Class Piano curriculum, and consistently emphasizing and assessing proper posture at the keyboard. Advisors/Committee Members: Stephens Benson, Dr. Cynthia.

▼ The independent piano studio owner combines entrepreneurial and pedagogical skill sets when creating a business to house their chosen occupation. These skill sets help them create a reputation as pedagogues and business owners and affects their status as professionals. In this paper, the evolution of independent piano teaching in America will be traced in order to evaluate the impact of negative stereotypes on the independent piano teachers’ pursuit of professional standing. This collective case study will interview four piano studio owners. Using Structural-Functional and Process models from sociological literature, subjects will be evaluated on their degree of professionalism. Results will be separated by categories of topics related to pedagogical and business development. The discussion outlines the differences and commonalities between the four subjects in responses to interview questions. Results show that subjects in this study meet a majority of traits required of obtaining professional status. More importantly, subjects have freedoms to choose how to become professional and how to gain community recognition as being professionals. Conclusions find how these subjects created professionalism and offers suggestions for further research into the topic. Advisors/Committee Members: Benson, Cynthia.

▼ The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between composing and teaching piano music, and to reveal the definitive characteristics of composer-teachers' teaching styles. Two currently active composer-teachers had agreed to participate in this study. The observation of subjects' teaching was analyzed using the computer software program-SCRIBE in order to obtain quantitative data. In the observation analyses, both teacher behaviors and student behaviors were observed and documented systematically. The observed teacher behaviors include giving information, giving directive instruction, asking questions, giving feedback and modeling. The observed student behaviors include student playing, asking questions, talking on or off task, achieving performance goals or not achieving performance goals. In addition, an interview protocol was used to collect the qualitative data for this study. The interview protocol consisted of ten questions regarding the composer-teachers' musical background, composition experiences, and the relationship between composing and teaching piano music. The results provided specific data on the subjects' teaching behaviors and students' learning processes. The interviews also revealed the relationship between composing and teaching piano music and the reward of being a multi-tasked musician. The results and the discussion may serve as a resource for other piano teachers. This study may also provide a model of successful composer-teachers for teachers who are interested in composing for their students. Advisors/Committee Members: Benson, Cynthia.

▼ Throughout five weeks, four piano students were given three pieces to study every other week: a No Goal piece, a Goal piece and a Practice Step piece. Lessons and practice sessions were recorded and analyzed for success and frequency of rehearsals. The results showed that students were most successful in practice and lessons with the Practice Step pieces. In practice, students also spent the most time practicing Practice Step pieces and the least amount of time practicing the No Goal pieces. Without a goal or practice steps, students did not utilize various practice strategies during practice, while practice steps and goals encouraged the use of different techniques of practice. Means of student success for all students indicated that they were most successful in the Practice Step piece, while the No Goal piece was less successful, and the Goal piece was the least successful. The results also showed that these four students performed more successfully and practiced more efficiently after five weeks of planning practice goals and practice steps. Advisors/Committee Members: Benson, Cynthia.